Norberto

As a next-generation farmer, Norberto is excited to apply bioenergy on his farm, using a Sistema Biobolsa biodigester to treat waste and produce biogas and organic fertilizer. Only 18 years old, Norberto already shows entrepreneurial spirit. Raised by a single mother, he has succeeded in his studies while working with his twin brother to support the family with their expenses.

Norberto will use this Kiva loan to invest in a 4 cubic meter Sistema Biobolsa biodigestor in order to use the organic fertilizer produced by his gladiolas, which he sells at the local market. The current costs of agrochemical fertilizers limit how much he can plant. With the biodigester, he will be able to expand his production while concurrently reducing his costs and his impact on the environment.

Additional Information

More information about this loan

Sistema Biobolsa is a distributor of small-scale, affordable biodigester systems that transform livestock waste into organic fertilizer for crops and biogas for cooking, heat and electricity. The company also provides farmers with education and financial assistance to help them use biodigesters to save money and improve their quality of life.

Sistema Biobolsa’s loan program began in early 2011, built on the fact that economic savings made possible by biodigesters could be used to pay back loans. However, because the company’s core business is not microfinance -- and because its partnership with Kiva is unique and unprecedented -- Kiva is unable to assign it a risk rating.

This Kiva loan will be used to provide borrowers with needed goods or services, as opposed to cash or financial credit

Repayment Schedule Note - For loans listed after June 18, 2013.

Even though the repayment schedule for this loan indicates that all repayments are to be made at the end of the loan term, lenders should expect repayments to be made prior to this time. Biobolsa borrowers are expected to make repayments to lenders as savings are realized from the use of the biodigester. Because these savings can be irregular, seasonal and/or unpredictable, Biobolsa has marked this loan as an end of term repayment schedule to avoid having their borrowers show up as incorrectly delinquent throughout the term of the loan.